This One's For The Team
by A. Michael Jones
Summary: My name is Aaron Rayes? There really isn't much for me to say. I feel like I am cursed to live this way. With this pain I carry in my heart. Why can't anybody help me. Is it cause of my gift. Is my gift my curse ? This powerful light that dwells inside of me. I have never really, truly learned what I can do with this light. What am I becoming ?
1. Epilogue

**_PROLOGUE_**

He sat in the back of the class room, a cap drawn over his head and dark sunglasses covering his eyes. Though his eyes were the lightest brown, there was some kind of light present in them. He had no idea what was going on with himself, but he didn't care so much. He had just lost his best friend in the world, that meant the most to him. "Mr. Rayes, take off that cap and remove those sunglasses at once. You are in high school, not at home. "  
"But Ms. Mann, I am afraid to remove them."  
"Why is that ? What are you afraid of."  
"I am afraid, I might hurt somebody if I did."  
"You are just being ridiculous, now remove them at once." Aaron slowly closed his eyes tightly and took off the cap first, then removed his sunglasses as tears rolled down his face and onto the desk he was sitting at. "Open your eyes, right now Aaron, I am not asking. I need your attention to the board and solve this problem. Here." She handed him the piece of chalk and he slowly stood up onto his feet, and made his way to the chalk board and opened his eyes and solved the problem without any hesitation. Even his answer was correct. He soon turned around, closing his eyes again, making sure not to look at anybody at the moment. "Very good Aaron, you may now take your seat. But open your eyes so you won't trip finding your desk." He slowly took a deep breath in and slowly did so as his eyes now shown a bright, mesmerizing light to the rest of the class as well the teacher. He could see things about them, their life. He even could see the teacher was pregnant. "Congratulations Ms. Mann, you are going to have a baby in your future. A healthy baby."  
"How did you know that Aaron, I haven't even been to see a doctor yet. Just grab your things and get out of my classroom right now. You have done enough." Tears rolled down his face as he began to slowly remember how he ended up losing his best friend.

_II_

Aaron Rayes was only 15 years old and Kristen Davis was only 14, He was just a year older than her. They had become inseparable, they did all kinds of thing together. He really liked her a whole lot, and enjoyed her company. Kristen and him became friends when they were barely teenagers. She was the most amazing, special girl he ever knew. She was the only girl he ever knew. Her hair, soft and gentle. Long and brown that reached to her shoulders. Eyes so green, that made even emeralds cry out. A smile so amazing, he wondered what she saw in him. He really wasn't all that much to look at, but he did know how to make her smile and laugh at him. Maybe that was why she found him so interesting. Over the next year and a half, Kristen started dating one of her friends, Tommy Waters. Aaron wasn't sure what to think about them two.. but he knew how he felt about her. He was beginning to love her. But how could he tell her when she was dating Tommy. It wasn't right, and he wasn't feeling very good about himself. Tommy was her age. He was a Senior in high school and she was a Junior. The three of them, went to the same high school together. But Aaron started feeling like, she was growing apart from him, and she was. She was after all the most beautiful girl in school. She was dating the most popular guy in high school. Aaron soon started hanging around with his old friends, hoping that it would cheer him up but it didn't. It was around, close to his 17th birthday, she had her heart broke and came back to Aaron. "I am sorry Aaron. I really am. Tommy broke up with me. I don't know what to do. I really love him Aaron. I want him to be the one for me." With those words said, broke Aaron's heart into a million pieces, but he just put his arms around her. Tears in his own eyes. When he knew he felt the same way for Kristen. He wanted her to be the one for him. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. It really is. He is a jerk for breaking your heart like that. if it was me, I would never break your heart Kristen. I just couldn't. I l..l.." He just couldn't finish his words and it got her attention. "You what, Aaron? Please tell me."  
"I LOVE YOU, Kristen. I love you so much. I want to be with you."  
"I wish I felt the same way Aaron. I do, but you are my very best friend in this world. I don't want to start a relationship with you. I am sorry, please forgive me Aaron. Please find it in your heart to forgive me." Before too long lunch break was over and tears in Aaron's eyes became evident to Kristen as the bell rang for class to start. "Please Aaron, don't cry. Don't cry cause you are making me cry now."  
"I can't help it. I love you with all my heart, yet you still want to be with him after he broke your heart. Don't you see. Me and you are meant to be together. Even my friends have told me that me and you should be together.. they can see it." They soon looked deeply into each others eyes, and with that moment of time they kissed each other so passionately, so deeply that she could feel his love for him come from this kiss. "I do love you, Aaron I really do. Let's try and make it work between us." Aaron smiled and held her hand in his as they headed back inside the school, going to their class together and that was when his ability kicked in. after their kiss.

III

Aaron decided he was going to propose to her after they graduated. He wanted to be married to her and start and raise a family together. It was the night before they graduated, Tommy came back into her life even though she was with Aaron now. She looked to Aaron now, and as he looked to them, the light appeared in his eyes. More focused on Tommy than her. He was wondering why this light appeared again. But he thought nothing of it. "Aaron, do you mind if I take one final motorcycle ride with tommy, so I can tell him about you and me. he deserves to know."  
"Okay Kristen, that is fine. Just please be careful. I don't want to lose you. if I lost you, I don't know what I would do."  
"Don't worry Aaron, I will be fine I promise you. " With that, she kissed him one more time, not knowing this was going to be their final kiss goodbye." Two miles down the road, Tommy stopped, Kristen's arms around his back. "Tommy, I am with Aaron now. I love him so much that I can't live without him. And I know he loves me the same way, that he can't live without me. Please, take me back to Aaron, now." Tommy shook his head and revved up his motorcycle to it's limit and sped off now, her holding on tighter to him, until a semi-truck made him do a hard turn, which threw her off the motorcycle and head on to the semi- truck and his motorcycle skidding away on it's side, leaving Tommy alive and Kristen now dead.

It was Graduation morning, when Aaron woke up in bed, feeling good about himself and smiling and couldn't wait for this day. This was not just going to be graduation day, but the day he was going to ask Kristen to marry him. when he got to school, all eyes were on him. Not just any eyes, sad eyes. They had known something he hadn't and where the graduation ceremony was going to be was a picture memorial of Kristen and Aaron together smiling. it was the only good picture of her that could be found. with burning candles and flowers around the picture. "What the.. NO. Please no.. this can't be." The school principal came up from behind Aaron and placed a caring hand on Aaron's shoulder. "I am sorry son, but she is gone. She was killed in a motorcycle accident last night."  
"I was going to propose to her after we graduated together. She was my heart and soul, and now without her I am lost. I don't know what to do, anymore. I can't live without her."  
"Go on home Aaron, we will mail you your diploma. Her parents are planning her funeral for next week. They could use you right now. Go to her parents and tell them, what you told me. They will understand your loss, they lost their daughter. and you lost your love. No one should need to go through that alone."  
"Thank you sir, very much. They could use some comfort. I am the only other person that Kristen loved other than her family." With that Aaron took his leave and headed for her parents house.

IV

Aaron waited for the funeral to end, he just couldn't be there right now. not like this. His ability was becoming more powerful now, the light that shone from his eyes was way more evident now. It was changing him from the outside in. he was feeling that light grow powerful inside of him. He couldn't face nobody right now. Not even her parents. When it ended, storm clouds rolled in and thunder roared across the sky and lightning filled it with light as rain began to fall and he headed to her tombstone crying and pulled out the box from his pocket and fell to his knees and looked up to the sky, shining his light to it and spoke. "Why god ? Why did this have to happen? Am I cursed ? What am I? Why do I have to see life and death right in front of me? I wanted her in my life, why did she have to be taken away from me, why ? Please answer me. What did I do to deserve this life?


	2. Dark Light Shines

CHAPTER ONE

I

It had been two years since Kristen's Death and Aaron couldn't help but live with this pain inside of him. he lost the one good thing that was the most important to his life. Kristen. He had tried to get over it but it was too hard for him. Living in Texas was getting even harder, yet he had no other choice. it was time for him to move on and find a new place to live. What else could he do, he thought to himself. Where would be the best place to go? He thought long and hard over this decision as he sat on the bed in his apartment. He had learned to harness his ability and power and do great and amazing things with it. He never had to pay an electric bill but he did have other bills to pay, like his rent which was 4 months overdue. He turned his head to the stack of mail on the dresser and pulled them off and went through them and found a letter addressed to him from Manchester, New York from a professor Xavier. He slowly opened the letter and began to read it to himself. Dear Mr. Rayes. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I teach at a school full of gifted students and I am looking for a young protégé to help with the younger kids. I have taken the liberty to ask for you. Your family was quite distraught at this, they did not want you to take on such pressure. But I believe with your ability you can help them. Please consider this option. I will have a plane ready for you. My two best teachers with a few students about your age will be ready to pick you up on February 23 if you are wanting and willing to come and join the school among others like you. It is your choice to make. signed PROFESSOR X. Aaron put the letter down and sighed out, this could be his way out of this stinking town and looked at the calendar on the wall. February 23, Is what day it was. he suddenly jumped from a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a very pretty girl with braided pony tails on the sides of her face. "Hello.. my name is Kitty. You must be Aaron right ?"  
"Y..y..y..yes I am. and how did you get in here ?"  
"With my ability silly, I am kind of like a ghost. I can move through things. What can you do ?"  
"It's not important what I can do. it is actually very dangerous. But how did you know my name anyway?"  
"Through the letter. I am one of the students at the school there. Are you going to be a student ?"  
"No.. I am not. I am to be a protégé for the younger kids there. "  
"That sounds so cool, your ability must be pretty cool then if that is what Professor X wants you to be."  
"Yeah, I guess so. Just give me a few minutes okay." He soon went into the closet and pulled off what little clothes he had off the hangers while kitty looked at some of his pictures and stumbled across one picture of him and a girl smiling together and a small black box in front of it and looked around and opened it to see a ring inside it. She knew she shouldn't have done it, but she was curious to know more about this Aaron guy. He did after all look pretty cute to her. As soon as he came out saw her looking at the small now opened black box. "Who's the girl ?"  
"It's none of your business okay. And I would gladly ask you to stop snooping around at my stuff. I don't go snooping through yours." She soon sighed out and he shook his head at his own comment. "Look I am sorry Kitty, that girl her name is Kristen. That ring is an engagement ring okay."  
"So you were going to ask her to marry you, is that correct? I would like to meet her. She looks very pretty."  
"Sure just go down the street a few blocks and turn left and enter the cemetery. You can find her there."  
"You mean she is..?"  
"Yes, she is. but that is another life I really don't want to bring it up okay. It's hard enough as it is."  
"I am sorry Aaron. I have no idea what that feeling is really like. It must hurt you every day."  
"It does, it really does. Every single day. I never should have let her go. I should have made her stay." He spoke as tears began to roll down his face as he finally finished packing up all his things, and grabbing the picture and black box. "Alright, I am ready to go." She slowly held her hand out to him but he did not reach out for it. "I have my own way. Watch this." He soon closed his eyes tightly as his body began to emit a strange light and instantly in a bright flash was gone and like lightning struck and reappeared at the rooftop where the blackbird was as Kitty looked through as she phased through the rooftop. "That is so awesome. You teleported. you can teleport ?"  
"No.. actually, I call it sliding. it is when you go from one point to another in a flash of light. My powers are based on Light. I harness a type of ethereal light. That is one of few things I have learned to do though my powers keep growing stronger every day. I can also see that you are in love with a boy named Bobby ? Is that correct."  
"How did you know that. Please keep it to yourself. He is with a girl named Anna. Them two are together."  
"Well, everybody gives off this aura.. it is a special light. some lights different. some tell of life, some tell of death and so forth. That is what has brought me all my pain and sorrow."  
"So you can tell who lives and who dies.. just by this aura, correct ?"  
"That is correct kitty." They both began talking as they walked and boarded the plane and smiled to each other. " I think I am really going to like it there already. I just hope I can get to see more of you Kitty, I mean if that is alright?" Kitty soon began to blush slightly at him. " I would like that too.. Kitty Pride is my name, but my x-men name is Shadow Kat. You should have one too. "  
"I don't know about that Kitty.. I really don't ." She couldn't stop thinking of a cool name for him, until logan spoke up and Aaron saw him. "Kitty you are Shadow Kat.. what is the opposite of a shadow. that should be his name. Now keep it down back there, I am trying to get some shut eye up here." He gruffed out and closed his eyes again. " You should be DARK LIGHT." She spoke excitedly and the Blackbird soon arrived at the school." We are here," jean spoke out. Aaron got off first and helped them out by extending his hand to just the ladies. jean smiled at the gentleman way Aaron handled himself. So did kitty too. Logan didn't like this Aaron kid so much, something about him gave him the chills. As for Scott who piloted the plane, looked at Aaron with a jealous look, thinking:' Oh great another guy hitting on my woman. will this ever stop.' Until Jean turned around to face Scott. "Logan take the kids inside please, I have to talk to scott alone."  
"Alright Jean.. you got it. Come you two young uns' follow me. The two love birds want to be alone." he replied then put his cigar back between his lips. Taking them to Charles office, seeing as how the class had just ended. "Ah, Mr. Rayes, I am so glad you decided to come. There is so much you need to learn to be my protégé . First off, No smoking in here Logan. How many times must I tell you this. Now Aaron, I see you have made a new friend already. Kitty has taken a strong liking to you. She had taken a moment to give you a name. DARK LIGHT, is it ?"  
"Yes sir, why that name. I don't understand. but I guess with my ability and my last name, it does kinda make sense. Rayes.. like rays of light. hence the light.. and part of the light, shows the cold, lonely, darkness in me. Hence the Dark. DARK LIGHT. "  
"I know you are troubled and have a troubled past. it was never easy for you was it. Growing up with a power like that. You and Jean Grey are a lot alike. You both are level 5 mutants. Though you are younger.. you might even surpass her. That is why I believe you should be here with us. Let me teach you, help you harness your full capability. I believe YOU to be the world's savior in these dark times. "


End file.
